Gem in the hills

Thursday

Apr 25, 2013 at 12:01 AM

MURPHYS - Foodies headed into the mountains on Highway 4 don't have to brave the pedestrian congestion several blocks off the highway in historic downtown Murphys in order to get their boutique breakfast.

The Record

MURPHYS - Foodies headed into the mountains on Highway 4 don't have to brave the pedestrian congestion several blocks off the highway in historic downtown Murphys in order to get their boutique breakfast.

Instead, they can stop at Magnolia Cafe, right on Highway 4, where chef/owner Devon Shires will feed them a chorizo-egg torta, a Filipino breakfast bowl, or cornmeal griddle cakes with honey and blackberry compound butter.

We went to Magnolia Cafe about 8:30 a.m. on a weekday morning and immediately got a friendly greeting.

Like many restaurants in recent years, Magnolia Cafe keeps costs down by minimizing the staff needed for the operation. Customers order at a counter that is really just an extension of the small, open-to-view kitchen where the food is prepared.

Fortunately, the building has been remodeled and expanded since it housed a different boutique restaurant several years ago. The addition matches the rustic wood framing style of the original restaurant and features a vaulted ceiling and fireplace.

We ordered the breakfast burrito ($9) and the Filipino breakfast bowl ($9.50). Then we went and found a window table in the new dining room addition.

Although most diners the day we were there appeared to be retirees, the setting seemed designed to appeal as well to young urban folk who might pass through on their way to a day of snow boarding or rock climbing. The music, for example, was contemporary alternative rock.

The food, when it arrived a few minutes later, reflected the multi-cultural fusion typical of big California cities.

The Filipino breakfast bowl featured a bed of coconut-infused sticky rice topped with two eggs over easy, cherry tomatoes, a very Latino tomatillo salsa, and also a very Asian sweet chili sauce. The dish also comes with a choice of turkey chorizo, bacon or roasted vegetables.

Although the dish really does closely resemble food sold in the Philippines, toppings like turkey chorizo and the tomatillo salsa give it a distinctively Californian twist.

Sticky rice clumps nicely and makes the chopsticks provided with the bowl a viable eating method even for those with relatively little chopstick skill. The breakfast bowl was delicious. The sticks proved useful for removing the final grains of rice.

The breakfast burrito was also a hit. Wrapped inside a very large tortilla were Yukon gold potatoes, fresh corn, a roasted tomatillo salsa, grated cheese and fresh tomatoes, and choice of turkey chorizo, bacon, steak or roasted veggies. The bacon proved a satisfying accompaniment to the eggs and potatoes.

Other breakfast choices at Magnolia Cafe include the previously mentioned cornmeal griddle cakes ($8); the chorizo-egg torta, which is a breakfast sandwich on a rustic roll ($8); and a breakfast panini ($8).

At lunch time, Magnolia Cafe offers options such as a caramelized onion steak sandwich ($9); a Thai firepot, which is a red coconut-based curry over rice with choice of meat ($10); or fresh Mex tacos, also with choice of meat ($8.50).

Because Magnolia Cafe focuses on breakfast and lunch, Shires and her staff are also available to cater events, whether in the cafe dining room or off site.